Bruce Sterling's annual State of the World address

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Bruce Sterling's annual "State of the World" interview on the WELL with Jon Lebkowsky is underway and roaring along, as Chairman Bruce sets out the stuff he's watching and thinking about. These are always a great way to end the year and start a new one, and this one is no exception.

I rather expect to get one of these devices some day soon. Here in
Belgrade, I just wrapped up and shelved a perfectly functional desktop
computer -- just because it was old, and I don't need it. With
desktop computers so clunky and obsolete, I've got room for a 3d
printer now. "I got rid of a computer for Xmas" is the new "I got a
computer for Xmas." "I got a 3dprinter" is the new hipster
desk-ornamenting knick-knack.

Of course it's not that you own a printer, it's what you print with
it. That's why I watch open databases like "Thingiverse" with more
interest than the printing devices themselves.

#2. Koreans. 2012 was all about K-pop and Samsung. Who can't
admire these two mushrooming efflorescences of Korean soft power and
Korean hard manufacturing? They're the New 1980s Japan.

#3. Indians. Bollywood has long been a hobbyhorse of mine, but 2012
was the first year in which I formally interviewed a Bollywood star --
for a pricey Swiss magazine, no less. In 2012, Indian cinema was
making unprecedented amounts of money. There's been an unheard-of
stream of Indian box-office smashes, and there are plenty more in the
hopper. The various Bollywoodians I'm following definitely feel the
wind at their backs. Some of the younger artistes are getting all
voice-of-a-generation about themselves.

They're not just selling the usual masala movie rubbish, either. A
player like Aamir Khan here seems to be methodically working his way
into Ronald Reagan territory. Aamir Khan's all backlit-patriot after
playing heroes in his movies. Look at the extensive phone and digital
tie-ins here. Pretty snazzy.

Kirby Ferguson, who created the remarkable Everything is a Remix series, has a new podcast hosted by the Recreate Coalition called Copy This and he hosted me on the debut episode (MP3) where we talked about copying, creativity, artists, and the future of the internet (as you might expect!).

The Data & Society institute (dedicated to critical, interdisciplinary perspectives on big data) held an online seminar devoted to Cathy O’Neil’s groundbreaking book Weapons of Math Destruction, which showed how badly designed algorithmic decision-making systems can create, magnify and entrench the social problems they’re supposed to solve, perpetuating inequality, destabilizing the economy, and making a […]

The Black Friday Mac Bundle 2.0 is one of the Boing Boing Store’s best-selling Mac bundles yet, and it’s about to come to an end. If you don’t get your copy now, here’s what you’ll be missing:This bundle comes packing 9 top-rated Mac apps in one package, at the hugely discounted price of just $23.99. […]

The Boing Boing Store’s Gift Guide is full of ideas for pretty much anyone in your life like hipster ice cub trays, Xbox controllers, Halo Boards, and even diamond necklaces. As always, all products in the Boing Boing Store come at great discounts, too. Shop by price bucket starting at under $20. Under $20:Bloxx Jumbo Ice Trays […]

Unlike traditional lighters, the SaberLight features an electronic plasma beam that’s both rechargeable and butane-free. This sleek lighter is even approved by TSA, so you’ll never be stuck buying lighters you’ll just have to throw away partially used. For some people, like me, this is a pretty big game-changer. The SaberLight’s beam is actually both hotter and cleaner […]

I previously only had peripheral knowledge of Sheldon Adelson – mainly as a punching bag during (and especially after) the presidential election. I always did kind of wonder where his fortune came from.

Through this article, I now read his wikipedia page. Well, actually just the quick facts sheet, as that told me everything there was to know about what moral values he bases his decisions on:

> Known for:
Casino and hotel magnate

Just to think that the state might now want more of his hard earned cash! If they gave him tax breaks, he could invest them in even more successful businesses! That are designed primarily and only to extract money from the gullible.

If your fortune is built on tricking people into behaving like idiots, I guess it’s a logical conclusion that you feel as though you have the power to buy elections.

Actually, the more I think about it, both things – his business success and outlandish appearance on the political stage – appear to be the same thing, really.